Tips on Dealing with Home Nursing Staff

Martin Emery

Hi 

We have a community nursing package for our eldest child.  We are very greatful to recieve this, as we know many people dont, and should.  Our oldest needs 24/7 Care and suffers with Around 60 to 160 fits a day.  He is now 17 years old.

Since the nursing package has been introduced, we have been met with issue after issue after issue with them.  We were lucky to have an amazing OT and each time the nursing team came up with a reason not to be able to do something with him, (Let him sit on a Toilet one example, ) the OT sorted out the issues and provided equipment to enable them to do that.  A swan seat for the toilet, hand rails, slide sheets, a specialist bath, Hoists, all sorts.

The thing is, now his room is more like a Hospital Ward, and we now find that when the nursing team is in the house, we are hiding away, and when they have gone, we are going round picking things up, putting things back where they should be, and forever fixing things they break.  

We have complained, and my wife is now at her wits end, and all ready to tell them to get out and never come back, but he is due to go into Adult services, and if we did that we would enter that with no care, and in turn no chance of getting any.

Its just our home, doesn't feel like ours any more. Does anyone else get this. And have you any tips on how you delt with it.  

NikiM

Hi Martin, although our situation is not the same as yours we do have a team of home carers for my daughter for most of her waking hours and juggling these people in your space is a very difficult job. Most of us are private people, wanting to shut the door and be able to have family life away from the scrutiny of others and we too find it frustrating that there is always someone else 'there' all the time, getting under your feet in the kitchen, breaking things, driving her wheelchair into newly painted walls, not cleaning up after themselves in the way you would like. At the same time my daughter loves having them in her life and the variety and activity and enthusiasm they are able to bring to her (and the respite for us) is what keeps us going. We also have set out very clear care plans and activity sheets for them all so that they know what they should be doing each day. This includes tidying, cleaning, washing up and even ironing her clothes. Have you got something similar? This way you are all clear regarding the expectations of being in your home and that these tasks must be completed before they leave and are part of their shift. It is absolutely not reasonable to leave your home in a worse state than when they arrived for you to tidy up - where is the respite in that!